The eyes and ears of the world are focused on the historic announcement to be made by PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. With Öcalan's call, the developments since October 1 are expected to evulve into a new phase. While MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli shook hands with DEM Party Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan in the parliament and made statements about the "right to hope", President Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling party have so far taken the opposite approach in both language and practice. 

  

While anxious and cautious approaches to the unnamed process were predominant due to the experiences of previous periods, Ömer Öcalan, the PKK Leader's nephew and DEM Party Riha (Urfa) MP, went to İmralı on October 23 and met with Abdullah Öcalan. Ömer Öcalan made a short statement after the meeting, which lasted about 1 hour and 40 minutes, and shared the PKK Leader's message to the public. Abdullah Öcalan said, “Isolation continues. If the conditions are created, I have the theoretical and practical power to move this process from the grounds of conflict and violence to the legal and political grounds.” 

  

Following this meeting, the DEM Party İmralı Delegation held two meetings with PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. After the December 28th meeting, the delegation met with the leaders of political parties, especially the Speaker of the Parliament, and conveyed Abdullah Öcalan's messages. On January 22, the delegation went to İmralı for the second time and conveyed the results of their meeting to the PKK leader. After this meeting, the delegation went to the Federated Kurdistan Region and held a series of meetings and conveyed Abdullah Öcalan's messages. At the same time, it was reported that the letters written by Abdullah Öcalan for the PKK, PAJK, European and North and East Syria Autonomous Administration officials during the second meeting were delivered. 

 

NEW APPLICATION TO IMRALI

 

After these intensive contacts and the responses to the letters, the PKK leader will make a call. While discussions continue on when the call will be made and what its content and format will be, DEM Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan announced today that they have applied to the Ministry of Justice for the İmralı Delegation. Ahmet Türk, dissmissed Co-mayor of Mêrdîn Municipality, was also included in the application.

 

BAKIRHAN AND HATI·MOĞULLARI WILL ALSO GO TO IMRALI 

 

After this application, it became more curious who else will take part in the meeting and when exactly the meeting will take place. Due to the historic nature of the PKK leader's call, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları will also take part in the meeting. DEM Party MP Cengiz Çiçek and Asrin Law Office lawyer Özgür Faik Erol will also be present. 

 

THE HISTORIC MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW

 

While there was talk about when the meeting would take place, the Ministry of Justice announced that “the third meeting has been approved and will take place tomorrow.” 

 

CALL ON FEBRUARY 28

 

After today's successive statements, all eyes turned to İmralı and locked on the next call. According to the information gathered, the call will be made one day later in Ankara. It is noteworthy that the call will coincide with the day of the 10-article Dolmabahçe Consensus announced on February 28, 2015. However, the upcoming call will be of a much more important point and nature than this agreement.  

 

WHAT WILL THE CALL LOOK LIKE? 

 

The form of the call is not yet clear. While the Kurdish political movement and the public expect the call to be made via video, the ruling party insists that it be in writing. It is thought that Abdullah Öcalan will make the call with the participation of Hamili Yıldırım, Veysi Aktaş and Ömer Hayri Konar, who are imprisoned in İmralı, and all members of the delegation. Abdullah Öcalan himself will make the call. At the press conference to be held in Ankara a day later, discussions are ongoing as to whether the video footage from İmralı or the written statement will be shared. 

 

MA / Mehmet Aslan